This invention relates to child and infant carriers and baby packs.
The prior art related to this invention presents a wide variety of devices which enable a person to carry an infant or a small child by means of a shoulder harness. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,481,517 by A. L. Aukerman and 4,009,808 by Andrea H. Sharp represent the variety of commonly used infant carriers. They are both made of flexible fabric and both have a seat pouch for seating the infant and both have shoulder straps crossed as the main support for the carriers. Other carriers present a rigid frame along with a fabric seat, much the same as conventional backpacks. Most child carriers presented are intended to be worn on the back of the person carrying the child. Others are presented as being reversible, that is that they can be worn on the front as well as the back, but they are intended primarily to be worn on the back. Carriers designed specifically for small infants are usually front-worn carriers. As will be seen, this invention has characteristics which present advantages to a person who wears the carrier in front, although the carrier is equally adaptable to be worn in the back.
The concept of carrying a child or infant on one's back derives from the fact that men throughout the ages have been able to transport heavy loads over long distances more easily when the loads were strapped to their backs than when the loads were carried any other way. Therefore, conventional backpacks are designed to transport loads over long distances. The fact that backpacks, especially loaded backpacks, are difficult and awkward to mount and dismount from one's shoulders is generally not a problem because of three reasons:
1. the load itself is generally well-secured in the backpack and is not likely to fall out of the pack during the awkward mounting and dismounting maneuvers;
2. the load itself generally requires no servicing during transit; and
3. the time involved in mounting and dismounting the pack is generally short as compared to the time spent in transporting the load because of the long distances normally involved.
The purpose and use of infant carriers is different from the purpose and use of backpacks. The purpose of an infant carrier is not confined to simply transporting the infant from one location to another; it's primary purpose is to provide mobility to the person responsible for carrying the infant. Nevertheless, many conventional carriers are fashioned after backpacks and, as a result, they too are difficult and awkward to mount and dismount from one's shoulders without assistance.
Unlike the packpack situation, the difficulty and awkwardness of mounting and dismounting a back-worn infant carrier present serious problems. The load, that is the infant, is not well secured in the carrier because all conventional carriers have open tops and the infant is not fastened therein. Therefore, there is a strong likelihood that the infant could fall out of the carrier during the awkward mounting and dismounting maneuvers. Furthermore, the load, that is the infant, normally requires servicing during transit. The servicing involves unpacking and repacking the infant for diaper changes, feedings, automobile trips, and any occasions when the infant needs special attention because it is crying or upset. Servicing also involves periodic visual checks for the well-being of the infant. Finally, the time involved in mounting and dismounting the carrier is not normally short as compared to the time spent in transporting the infant, because much shorter distances are involved than in the backpack situation.
Front worn carriers are also difficult and awkward to mount and dismount, and, in many cases, they are almost impossible to put o without assistance. As with the back-worn carriers, the difficulty and awkwardness is primarily due to the fact that the mounting and dismounting of the carrier on and from the shoulders of the wearer must take place while the infant is in the carrier unless assistance is available.
The inconveniences encountered by a person using heretofore presented carriers can best be exemplified by considering a common, if not typical, itinerary of a housewife/mother which involves transporting an infant to a grocery store, a specialty store and a dry-cleaning establishment. If each leg of the journey involved the use of an automobile, then, disregarding any of the above-mentioned servicing, there are at least three occasions when the mother must mount the carrier with infant onto her shoulders and three occasions when she must dismount them and move the infant to a car seat. The journey begins at the home when the mother transports infant and carrier (usually carrying both because of the short distance) to the car where the infant is strapped into a car seat. Upon arrival at the grocery store, the mother has several options. She can chose to carry the infant in her arms while shopping but, if she's going to need the simultaneous use of both of her hands at any time, such as for writing a check or bagging fruit, such a choice is not wise. For small infants, putting the infant in a shopping cart is not an answer. She can also chose to bring the car seat with infant into the store and put them in the shopping cart but car seats are not normally adapted for such use. They slide around in the cart and occupy too much space. The mother has a third option but that involves going through a 4-to-6 minute routine of putting the infant into a carrier and mounting the carrier on her shoulders. The process normally cannot be accomplished completely inside the car so both mother and infant must be exposed to the elements. Furthermore, a sleeping infant is usually awakened during the routine. During the hypothetical journey, this scene will take place three times. There are also three occasions when the mother comes back to the car and must remove the carrier from her shoulders (usually performed outside the car) and remove the infant from the carrier. It can be seen that, in addition to the problems associated with mounting and dismounting such carriers, they are also very inconvenient. It is therefore highly desirable to provide a carrier which eliminates such inconvenience.
This invention was conceived in response to the above-described problems. This invention worn as a front carrier completely eliminates the above-described inconveniences and all of the difficulty and awkwardness involved in mounting and dismounting conventional infant carriers. For the mother of the infant, carrying the baby in front is a more natural position because during the full term of pregnancy, the child is carried in the front of the mother's vertebrae, and the mother's body is, as a result of the pregnancy, strengthened for front-carrying. This invention can also be worn on the back, and as a back carrier it presents no more difficulty than conventional infant carriers.
Other advantages and attributes of this invention will be described hereinafter and still others will be apparent to one of ordinary skills in the pertinent art.